Dancing With a Stranger  The Tango
by Crystal Livie-Brown
Summary: Elizabeth is a tough girl, but with her fiance cheating on her, she hits her limit. She goes out for her birthday and finds the man of her dreams. He introduces her into a world that shouldn't exist and where she truly belongs. Enjoy and comment


PREFACE

As I stood in the open doorway of my best friend's parents' bedroom I stared at my naked sweat drenched fiancé. I pushed past Annie as he called out to me, "It's not what it looks like!" When he got close enough I turned and slugged him again, my hand aching so much I had to have broken something. This time he fell and landed on the floor. The bitch he was sleeping with came out of the room and defended him half dressed. When I got fed up with her bull shit I turned and hit her too. After a whole bunch of yelling I ran downstairs and poured myself a double shot. I took the shot and slammed the glass down, screaming. The entire house went instantly silent as Annie, Jennifer and Angelina ran into the kitchen.

"What the fuck just happened?" I screamed turning to them. "What went wrong?" Note to self: When something feels wrong or weird, pay attention! Reviewing the day and how shit got so crazy that I had to just slug two people, I poured myself another shot.

ONE  
>Elizabeth<p>

Adam had to be worried about his game on Monday or something. He was quiet when he picked me up this morning and all we did was sit around his parents' house watching movies in his childhood bedroom to waste time till tonight. What first tipped me off to his distance was he was lying next to me but his arms weren't stretched out. He didn't offer and I wasn't pushing it. It was almost like he wasn't there at all. Also he didn't eat most of the day and actually didn't argue with his dad when he bursted into his room and complained about the house being a mess. I helped him clean of course but all I really wanted to do was get him to the party so he could hang out with his friends and have a couple drinks to release some pressure he was feeling. Pressure I thought he was feeling. Apparently it wasn't the type of pressure I was thinking.

I lipped the words to the current song on the radio as we turned down the road to take us to Annie's house. I bobbed my head from side to side to liven up the mood as Adam huffed and slammed his palm into the power button. It turned off quickly, my voice the only sound in the car. I glared at him as his hands twisted around the wheel of his Jeep Wrangler. "What the hell was that for? That was a good song." I frowned, just getting ready for the best part of the song. I thought to myself: guess I'll have to download it tonight when I get back to the dorms.

"I hate that song," he spat back as he pulled the wheel to the right to go up Annie's long hillside driveway. I rolled my eyes knowing he was already in a bad mood and took a quick inventory of all the cars that were scattered across the grass and dirt. Oh, Jennifer and Angelina were here. I smiled, pulling the car door open as he parked. The girls waved to me from the large bay window. I waved my hand quickly in short motions, waiting for Adam to get out of the car. I peeked through the darkened car window as he still sat in his seat with his hands on the wheel. I moved to the open car window and leaned in.

"You okay?" After a long pause he nodded his head slowly twice. "You plan on getting out of the car anytime soon or do I have to go to this party by myself?" I laughed at myself; tapped the plastic on the inside of the door. "Come on slowpoke. Everyone is waiting for us." I skipped slowly up the rest of the driveway towards the door. Adam's door slams and he calls out to me. I turn and smile, then frown at his frown. "You sure you're okay hun?"

He stuffs his hands into his pockets as he joins me. His eyes finally meet mine. "I think we should talk."

My eyebrows push together. This was the first thing that went wrong. Bells and whistles should have been playing right about here. "Okay that can't be good. Can we talk about this when you take me home?" He shook his head as I turned, grabbed my wrist. I jerked against his hold. "Come on Adam, everyone is waiting for us." Annie, Jennifer and Angelina – my best friends in the world – opened the front door and called out to me between laughter and stumbling. I turned to them as they waved us forward. "Hey guys, I'll be there in a minute." Jennifer frowned as Angelina danced on the porch. Annie shuffled them forward, gave me a quick smile before she closed the door. I turned back to Adam and pulled my wrist from him. "So, you have me out here to talk. So talk." I rubbed my wrist and felt the muscles bruising already.

I crossed my arms against the wind, the sun just now setting on our lovely Saturday night before Spring Break vacation was over. I was sad since I didn't really do anything for a whole week but that was the reason for the party. Adam shuffled his feet, kicking small pieces of rocks across the black paved driveway. I looked up at the sunset and the moving clouds as he thought about whatever he wanted to talk to me about. "I think we need to take a break."

My head snapped down and the air caught in my throat. "Excuse me? Please do not tell me you just said the b word to me."

He shrugged again. "Yeah, I'm not ready to be married in four months. We're still in college."

I snorted. "Your point? You asked me to marry you when I was a junior in high school. I don't know how much longer you want an engagement to be but personally four years is pretty long."

"I know it is but I just want to finish school, start my career. I know we've been engaged for awhile but I don't feel like I'm at the same level you are. I think we're rushing things." My head was spinning. What the hell was he talking about? What level do you need to be at before a six year relationship – four of them being engagement – feels like you can take the step to marriage? And I wasn't rushing anything. Anything we did as a couple he planned. Our first date, the night he asked me to marry him at the lake… I mean honestly, he moved from his college in California to spend more time with me. I didn't force him to do ish.

"Fine, we're rushing things. What do you want to do about it?" My feet pushed together as I stood at attention, suddenly freezing. It felt like all the warmth from my body had left me and all that was left was the chilly Washington night time weather.

He finally looked up at me and crossed his arms, stretching the leather of his letterman's jacket from Thomas Jefferson. I always made fun of him for that jacket. He wore it for nostalgia sake since he lettered in football in high school. He tried to make a career out of it – which I have always supported one hundred percent – but I've had to slowly watch it crash and burn in the last six months. Huh, maybe that was why he wanted to take a break. Ugh! "I think we should take a break for awhile, push the wedding out until we get things settled. You need to work on finishing your last year of college and I need to spend more time training for football. Coach says I have a shot if I just put in more hours." Oh me and coach are about to have some very colorful words here on Monday. "But we can still hang out, have fun but emotionally I need to cut the tie for a bit."

"Well that was the worst wording of 'yeah I still love you but let's just be friends' I have ever heard in my life." I shook my head, turned and headed towards the house. "Whatever Adam, take your break. Let me know when you grow up."

He groaned, kicked the dirt under his shoes. "Come on Liz, it's not like that." I put up my hand as I continued walking up the steps to the porch. I couldn't figure out if I almost just flipped off my fiancé… well, current ex-fiancé or I just didn't want to listen to him stutter through lame excuses on why he wanted to take a break from me. I pretty much said screw it and went inside to find the girls. No luck on the girls within walking distance but I did find the kitchen where all the liquor was being held. I made myself a strong rum and coke then rethought and poured myself a shot as well. I took the shot as I moved towards the living room and started drinking as I said hello to old class mates and people who lived in our dorm hall at UW. I finally ran into Annie who slapped Jennifer's arm to get her and Angelina's attention. All three turned to me and moved in for a group hug.

"Dude we haven't seen you in like four days!" Jennifer said, spinning in a circle with her drink over her head.

"I know. What did you guys do for your break?" I asked, sipping my drink. I really should go make a new one.

"Had lots of crazy sex with the boy," Angelina bragged, turning to her boyfriend. She waved to him in very girly fashion. He jutted his head up, puckered his lips and blew her an air kiss in the middle of a conversation with a group of guys from the football and soccer teams. "It was amazing!" She sung out.

Annie jutted her thumb towards Angelina. "Don't mind her. She's the resident slut." Angelina decked her on the arm, almost spilling her drink. Jennifer and I laughed as they continued to punch each other.

"I have a boyfriend so I'm no longer a slut." With one hard punch she spun and danced out of the living room, Annie and her weaving through a crowd of people. Jennifer and I laughed as we migrated to the kitchen for another round.

"How was your break?" Jennifer asked, sliding a shot of vodka across the marble kitchen island. She always was the more responsible one, and super lovey. She cared more about other people then herself which I always thought was admirable.

I shrugged my shoulders, finished mixing my drink. "Pretty lame. Helped my mom do a couple renovations to the house and then spent today with Adam." I looked past Jennifer at Adam moving through the crowd with a beer in his hand. I continued to watch as he turned towards the staircase. "Speaking of jackasses." This was the second thing. He was sneaking upstairs which was pretty deserted but all I thought was, 'he's probably got to pee'.

She turned, watched him move around all the people talking on the staircase. "What did he do now?" I ran her through how he was being weird all day but how I didn't think anything of it. He was usually weird before games. When Annie and Angelina joined us for refills we both filled them in.

"Oh let me deck him for you chicka. Plleeaassee! I've been dying to hit a boy right across the jaw. Maybe one of these," Angelina tapped her elbow then motioned hopping in the air and dropping the elbow on a person. I laughed, shook my head. Actually I should have let her. It would have saved my hand a lot of pain and the _ugly_ scene that was soon to follow.

"If anyone is going to deck him it'll be me. I've had to deal with his drama queen ass for six years." We continued through the night with drinks, small references to Adam's douchbaggery and catching up with old friends we hadn't seen since graduation. Around ten at night I tried stealthfully to find Adam. I just wanted to make sure he was sober enough to drive home or I was going to take his car keys away. He already had a brush with an almost DUI. As my head was turned a large boy was pushed into Annie's back who poured her entire vodka and coke all over my green t-shirt. I screamed as the ice slid down the opening of my shirt and clinged to my breasts. I pulled the shirt from my skin and fanned it. "Ah, cold – cold – cold!" Man I wish I could rewind through time. I would have moved out of the way and saved my favorite green shirt… and possibility my sanity.

"Shit, sorry," he said, pushing his friend back. I waved it off as Annie told them to settle down or get out. Jennifer and Angelina were busting up and trying to get the guys to stop wrestling so I went upstairs to Annie's room to find another shirt. I riffled through her very large closest and grabbed the only semi relaxed t-shirt I could find. I pulled the soaked shirt from my skin as I moved through the hall to her parent's room where all the extra towels were stashed. I just started pulling off my shirt when I tripped over a pile of clothes. I _oofed_ as my knee hit the dresser.

I looked down at the clothes, completely confused. Maria usually cleaned up. Why would clothes just be lying on the floor? That wasn't like the White's at all. I kicked them to the side and turned on the light as I took a step towards their bathroom. A body shot up from the bed and I quickly dropped the shirt and covered my eyes. "Oh shit, I'm sorry." I turned my back to them as Annie joined me. Fuck bells and whistles. This should have been a code… I don't even know. Red or something. High priority alert. Possibly a neon sign saying, 'Naughty fiancé! Cover your eyes and run like hell!'

"Hey do you need a – what the fuck are you doing in my parents' bed!" She screamed as I tried to push past her.

"Come on Annie I need to get past. I don't want to see anything-"

"Adam you are such an asshole!" She interrupted, throwing all the stuff at my feet towards the bed. I uncovered my eyes and my heart just stopped. I turned quickly, saw the front of a naked man and yelped before turning around again. Okay back to present time. This sucks a fat one right? I am so oblivious… maybe stupid. No. Naïve? No that's not right. Okay metaphor time: The last couple of years have been like a horse race. The whole time having blinders on and the finish line was so close I could taste it. Way to rip my blinders off Adam!

"What the hell is going on?" I yelled at him. "I never did anything to you. I was even nice enough to let you take your stupid ass break and here I find you screwing another girl!"

"Elizabeth, it's not like that," he said winded. When a hand touched my shoulder I just turned and threw a punch. It connected hard with his chin. His head jerked to the side and I curled up my fist to my breasts and yelled obscenities as throbbing pain radiated through my hand. "Damn Liz-"

"I cannot even believe this is happening right now." I covered my ears to drown myself out. Yeah I can't believe this is happening either… oh god I'm talking to myself now. I seriously need to seek clinical help. "Six years Adam. Six years I've given you and you just quickly break things off and fall in bed with the closest girl. And it's not even your bed. You're doing the nasty in my best friend's parents' bed." He moved closer to me but I held up my hands to stop him. "No, I'm done completely. No break, this is done forever."

"Six years of my life as well Liz. Do you know any man to go six years without sex? Hell no. I couldn't deal with it anymore."

I shook my head. "I don't give a shit why you did it. You did it, end of story." When I tried to move away from him he grabbed my wrist again. I pulled against his hold, moving him into the hallway where we were getting an audience. "Get the hell off me Adam!"

"No, I'm not done talking to you yet."

I ripped my hand from him. "I don't want to talk you arrogant unimaginable bastard!" The one step I took away from him he moved to the side to stop me. I didn't even think twice. I just bunched up my fist and hit him right in the cheek. He fell to the floor with a loud thud as blood came from his mouth. I shook my hand, on the verge of screaming. My hand hurt, my heart was broken, and my world was crushed. Is there no justice in the world! Loud footsteps came from the room and out appeared the bitch that slept with my fiancé. She knelt down to check out his face and wiped the blood from his lip.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You can't just go around decking people like that!"

Oh my god I wanted to laugh. Who did she think I was? Just a random stranger walking into rooms and decking people for no reason? "He's my fiancé… well ex-fiancé. I can _deck_ him whenever I damn well please, especially when he's cheating on me with a skank."

She stood, got in my face. "Call me a skank one more time bitch and you won't make it out of this house." Adam pushed from the ground to pull her back. Annie grabbed my arm to pull me away from her. I took one step to the side then turned and hit her as hard as I could. God it hurt like a bitch but it was amazing. She fell against Adam and instantly put her hand over her left eye. I pulled off my engagement ring, threw it at his face and went downstairs, passing Annie who was yelling at both of them to get out of her house before she called the cops. I pushed by the crowd who tried to part for me. I got into the kitchen, poured myself a double shot and instantly took it. I slammed it against the marble and screamed as my knees bent. It instantly got quiet as Annie, Jennifer and Angelina got into the kitchen.

"What the fuck just happened?" I screamed, turning to them. "What went wrong?" Annie turned to everyone and thanked them for coming but asked them to leave early. This was followed by a lot of moans and groans. I shook my head, took one more shot, grabbed the opened bottle and pushed by the crowd of people. "I'm going. I need to think." I yelled to them, thankful they were stopped by the crowd. I moved from the house taking a small entry way through the right side to a garden gate and stone path way. I took to the street, watched all the people drive away and waved to the ones who yelled from the windows of their car.

Man my Facebook was going to blow up tonight. When the road started to quiet from traffic all I heard was the revving of an engine and it was heading straight for me. I turned quickly to see Adam's Jeep coming down a quarter mile up the road. I moved to the side next to the high trees, held the bottle to my lips and prayed that he didn't see me. The second he passed me, over the speed limit, he slammed on his brakes and swerved a little onto as much of the side of the road as possible. He ripped the emergency brake loud enough for me to hear it outside the car and hopped out, running to me. I lowered my head, contemplated running in the other direction away from him.

"Was that scene really necessary Elizabeth? Not only did you embarrass me in front of all my friends but you embarrassed yourself."

I laughed, shook my head as I took another long drink. I wiped my hand under my chin as the heated liquid poured down my throat. "I didn't embarrass myself Adam, I stood up for myself. You on the other hand…" I moved the bottle towards my lips again.

He pulled the bottle away from me and smashed it to the ground. I watched the glass shatter across the road and smelt the wafting vodka soak into the air. "Get in the fucking car Elizabeth. We'll talk about this on the way back to the dorms." He reached towards my hand as I pulled it back, turned and ran in the opposite direction. In that second it turned from sprinkling to pouring with a vengeance. I shook as my lungs burned and my mind raced. I turned, seeing Adam catch up to me quickly. I veered into the forest over a water filled ditch and tried to just get away from him. I ran through bushes, cut my legs against fallen branches and bark. He yelled for me as my breath fogged the sight in front of me. I stopped when it got so dark I couldn't see and searched for a way back to the road away from Adam. I pulled to the left on a very small path and jumped over fallen logs and ferns. Right as I could see the street I tripped over a pile of rocks, catching my flats in the dirt. I fell against the moistened grown and pushed up long enough to have Adam tackle me back down.

"Get off me Adam!" I screamed, rotating to push him off.

"Stop this Elizabeth. You're acting like a fucking child." He yelled back, grabbing my forearm and pulling me up. I hit his arm, slammed his hand against my forearm – anything I could do. I ended up kicking him in the balls from behind. He let go long enough for me to move out of his reach and run to his car. I would steal it and get back to Annie's if need be. "Elizabeth!" he yelled, out of breath but on the move.

When I reached the road a car was coming around the corner. I ran into the middle of the road, my head light and my heart racing. I waved my arms in the air and screamed for them to stop. They stopped alright, fifty feet away. I ran towards their car, Adam and his car in sight. The passenger creaked her window opened and peeked her head out. "Are you okay?" I shook my head and yelped.

"Elizabeth I am so tired of this shit. Get in the fucking car!"

I turned, walking backwards. "Fuck you Adam. I'm not going anywhere with you. You're a drunken cheating asshole fiancé. I told you I was done with you." I got to the window and turned to the woman. Her eyes were aware, shocked but also warming. "Can I use your cell phone please? I left mine at my friends' house after a party and I need to have her come pick me up."

The driver, watching Adam get closer to the car jerked his chin back. "We'll give you a ride."

"Oh you don't need to do that. I just need a cell phone." The woman got out and fished a cell phone from her front pocket, handed it over. "Thanks." I got two numbers punched in before Adam reached me, handed the cell phone over to the woman and pulled me with him. "When did you stop speaking English 'cause I swore I told you to go away like 4 times."

"You're embarrassing me Elizabeth. Stop it. You don't need a strangers help. I'll give you a ride back to Annie's."

I hit him in the arm, pulled my wrist from him. "Adam just stop it. I'm so tired of you being a drama queen. Fuck what other people think. Did you ever think for one second that my opinion is actually worth something? I-" The woman joined us and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Is there a problem-" Adam pushed her off my shoulder and went to pick me up.

"Asshole, don't you ever touch my girlfriend!" The man turned, slugged Adam right in the eye knocking him back a good foot. Adam hit hard, the back of his head bouncing on the cement. For a split second I almost ran to Adam to make sure he wasn't bleeding or dead.

"Jason, god. You didn't need to hit him that hard. He didn't hurt me."

The man put his arms around his girlfriend in a deep hug. "Becca don't. The asshole deserved it." I turned from them to Adam, wondering if I should go and see if he was alright. He wasn't moving… "Hey, are you okay?"

I nodded, still watching Adam. "Yeah I'm fine. He was just drunk and I caught him cheating on me like a half an hour ago."

The man laughed. "Told you he was an asshole." I ran over to Adam, turned his head to the side to check the back. No bleeding… well that's a good sign. I pulled on his arms to lift him into a sitting position. "Here, I'll do that." The man threw Adam over his shoulder, slipped him into the back of his jeep and locked the doors. He was wiping his hands off next to the car when his girlfriend joined us.

"Still need the cell phone hun?" I nodded, punched in Annie's number. Of course she didn't answer. I handed it back, thanked her, and started walking in the opposite direction. The car was started and put into motion – then was followed by a squeal on the cement. I turned, the car pulling a u-turn. The woman rested her head on the window, smiled. "You sure you don't need a ride. It's starting to rain really hard."

At first I said no but when I shivered at a gust of wind I nodded, pulled open the back door and kept my hand on the handle for quick escape. "Thanks. Sorry, I never got your names."

The woman turned in her seat, smiled to me. "My name is Rebecca and this is my boyfriend Jason. You're Elizabeth right?" I raised an eyebrow. "We heard that guy screaming it down the street."

"Ah, yeah. That's my name. And sorry about Adam. He's an overall asshole."

I leaned back in the seat, gave Jason directions back to Annie's. "So you think they're the Adam and Elizabeth Der was talking about?" Jason whispered. I leaned my head back, rubbed my temples as a headache started to prick.

"Probably. We'll find out when we get home." Jason pulled to the left, went up a hill. I sat up and hopped out of the car.

"Thanks guys. Hold on a second." I ran into the house, grabbed all the cash from my wallet. I counted it as I walked back to the car. "All I have is fifteen dollars but I just wanted to thank you for helping. He was hitting higher creeper status than usual."

Rebecca shook her head, her hands followed. "No need hun. We were just glad we were in the area to help." She closed my hand over the money, patted it. "Use it for ice cream. I know that's what I eat when I'm having a bad day." I laughed.

"I'll remember that." I waved to both of them and joined Annie, Angelina and Jennifer in the house.

Derek

I stretched on the couch, flipping through sports channels. I checked my watch again, the clock indicating that it was forty minutes past when Becca told me her and Jason would be home. After five more minutes of waiting, I sighed and slipped off my shoes. "I guess the movie has been cancelled on the account of rain." I stood, pulled the curtain from the window as the dorm room door opened and Becca and Jason joined me talking in whispers. "Nice of you to join us." I looked down at our dorm dog Sadie. She sighed, her big brown eyes rolled as she sat at my feet.

"Sorry… we uh, ran into a problem." Becca pulled off her jacket and moved over to me, hugging me around the waist in her usual five foot three manner.

"What kind of problem?" I asked, running my hand through my hair.

"Do Adam and Elizabeth ring a bell?" My heart jumped out of my chest.

Jason coughed in the fridge while searching for beers. "Becca I told you to wait to ask him."

"Shut up Jason. I'm curious now."

I moved back to the window, turned down the beer Jason offered. "Yeah they do." I finally said after a very long pause. "Adam is my brother and Elizabeth is his fiancée that I've been in love with for over two years."

Jason was damn speechless but Becca bursted into laughter. "Well then do I have a story to tell you." She smiled maliciously.

TWO  
>Elizabeth<p>

I sat against a cherry blossom tree in the courtyard of the University of Washington. With a book in hand, an iced coffee next to me and a fluffy blanket under me I felt at home, even if it was temporary. I seemed to time myself on Adam's schedule. No, I didn't get back with him – quite the opposite actually: I was avoiding him like the plague. I had seen him once two weeks back with Rachel – I had found out her name from my good friend Kayla, the gossip queen of the UW – with her arm around his waist and bliss across her face. I never wanted to see that again.

Ah, Romeo and Juliet – one of my all time favorite books. I could read this over and over again and not get tired of it. Engrossed in the scene of passion and confessions of forbidden love I almost didn't feel someone sit down next to me. I looked up and smiled. "Well hello my little red headed whirlwind." Annie laughed, reached over my lap to take a drink of my coffee. "What's on your agenda today? Sculpting or photography?"

She nudged me with her elbow. "None of the above smartass. I don't always have an agenda. Sometimes I like to wing things." We laughed together as I slipped the book mark into the book. "Do you know what today is?"

"Umm… Friday – hence why I'm reading out in the courtyard. No classes." I chuckled, shook my head lightly. "Actually," I checked my phone, "you have class in thirty minutes miss I wing things."

She shrugged, slipped on her sunglasses and stood up, shaking the bottom of her cotton lace white dress. "I'm skipping today." I snorted.

"You never skip your classes. A couple months ago you were snoting all over the place with a one hundred degree fever and you still went to your art class."

She waved her hand noncommittal in the air. "Whatever, I had a final. Anyways, I was asking about today because it's May 7thth…" I just stared at her. Why was she telling me the date? "Ohmygod please do not tell me you forgot your own birthday."

I snorted again. "Huh, my birthday is tomorrow. That's weird. I thought it was the beginning of May." I shrugged, grabbed my blanket and coffee, my book snug under my arm. I pulled a cigarette from my pack and lit it with my hand cupped closely. "So you're skipping your class today because my birthday is tomorrow?"

"No I'm skipping because we should go out and have some fun. I was thinking shopping and some dinner tonight and maybe out to a club tomorrow night." I waved to Kayla who b-lined straight towards us.

"Duuuuude, I totally just heard that there this club in downtown that's having this theme night tomorrow." I stopped mid inhale. "Sorry I heard the word club and birthday." We laughed together, I hugged Kayla tightly.

"Thanks for keeping me updated chicka but I don't really dance." I gave Annie daggers. She knew I didn't dance.

"You do too, I see you dance in front of the mirror all the time." She put a hand on her hips, cupped her hand like I did when I was holding a hair brush and using it as a microphone. I pushed on her arm.

"That's just different."

"How?" Kayla asked.

"It just is. Can we figure out something else to do for my birthday? I don't really want to go – for all that is holy!" I turned, grabbed the forearms of Annie and Kayla and flipped us around.

"Who's behind us?" Kayla turned. "Oh, him. I was wondering what was up with your break. All I heard was you punched him and the girl he was sleeping with at a party last month I was _sooo_ not invited to." She glared at Annie.

Annie laughed; I hit her in the bicep. "That's pretty much all that happened. Believe me you didn't miss anything. Anyways I don't want to be-"

"Hey Liz." I stopped, lifted my head up and cursed the gods. I turned quickly, plastered on the fakest smile I could muster.

"Hey Adam." I gave Rachel the once over. Man she was getting fat. "Rachel… You're looking ever so plump these days."

She took a step forward, I did the same. Adam held her back; Annie and Kayla held me back. "She's pregnant. And it's not nice to call people plump Elizabeth." Total mental breakdown in: three… two… one…

"Pregnant?" I barely got the word out. It felt like someone pressed a red hot poker to it. My tongue swelled and my throat dried.

Rachel smiled, moved her forearm from Adam's grasp and wrapped it around his waist. "That's right. And pregnant or not call me fat one more time and I'll claw your face off."

"With your cheap acrylic manicure?" Annie high-fived Kayla and crossed her arms. I'll have to thank her for that later.

"At least I work for what I want. Adam told me you get everything handed to you, you snotty little whore." Cue massive cat fight in the cherry blossom courtyard. I pushed Annie back, Adam held Rachel's arms.

"Everyone cool the fuck down!" Everyone stopped as I yelled at the top of my lungs, causing every passerby to stop and watch. "Kayla take Annie to the dorm. I'll meet you there." When she didn't move I pointed more sternly. With a huff both turned and walked past Rachel. I covered my eyes, rubbed down to my cheek. Adam was kissing Rachel on the cheek and sending her the opposite direction. She shoulder checked me before she walked away. I just took it, rubbed my shoulder and looked up at Adam. "Well at least you found a girl with a little passion." I rubbed my shoulder again for emphasis.

"You have plenty of passion Liz. Don't downgrade yourself like that."

I snorted. "Wow, I think that's the first time you've complimented me in six months."

"Well I should have done it more often. You're a pretty amazing girl." He stuffed his hands into his letterman's jacket.

I shook my head, turned away from him. "Don't go there Adam."

He caught up to me but didn't grab me like last time. That's a plus. "I'm not, I swear. I just wanted to talk."

"About what?" I turned, pulled my swirling curls from my face, fishing in my pocket for a hair tie.

"I wanted to tell you happy birthday. It's tomorrow, right?" I nodded. "Do you have any plans?" I searched around my head for anything I could do. I didn't want to sound boring like I was doing nothing.

"I think the girls are planning on taking me out to the club tomorrow night. You know, drinks and dancing and what not."

He nodded, smiled. "I forgot, it's the big two-one. I hope you have fun." The phone rang in my back pocket, the text message reading that the girls decided were going to the themed night club tomorrow night. I sighed, closed the phone and slipped it back into my pocket.

"Yeah I know we will. Well I need to go shopping. I'll see you later Adam." I rubbed his arm affectionately then checked myself. I dropped my hand, turned in the opposite direction towards the dorms. As he called out goodbye I threw my hand up in a half dedicated goodbye wave and fished out my phone.

_Heading back. And thanks for making plans for _my_ birthday bitches lol._

All I received back was a smiley face. I shook my head and pulled the door open on my dorm hall.


End file.
